RPM - Revisisted ;)

[secondsacker9]

Hello,

At the gym that I work we use RPM and are able to switch tracks prior to the 8 week period. Without the latitude to do this, I would think the workout would become very monotonous.

Pat

[Jpgirl]

Slo Spin-I understand what you are saying-but I respectfully disagree.
How could an instructor possibly be a good coach with no background in fitness, no experience in fitness, no understanding of the choreography, no understanding of cadence? How could a person like that possibly coach others when they themselves have no understanding of what they are doing? And I wouldn't expect them to-they are at the beginning of a never ending journey-I would also expect that they wouldn't get a Pass with Distinction after starting this journey a mere 6-8 weeks prior. I've mentored many new instructors and was very disappointed. I know, because I was the instructor who was asked to be in the room when this instructor did her video-to pace and keep her on the chorey. When she got a class to teach I went to her class many months later and in the stretch she went off the chorey notes-she did a side bend stretch while sitting on the bike and told the class that they were stretching their IT band. Yes she does have a personality but just about anyone can cheerlead. This new instructor mentored another new instructor and that instructor's motto was "If you don't feel like puking you're not working hard enough-trash can is in the corner" ! I know that isn't LM's fault.

I'm not bashing LM-I am concerned about the subjectiveness of the video testing. Why not a proctored written test and a live practical- judged by a team of 2-3 assesors- it could be done at quarterly. I think LM puts out a good product and perhaps it's grown so large that quality control might be an issue. I put the largest blame on the club managers for not mentoring and educating new instructors in the basics of teaching a class. I know at our own club there's a rule that if you're a new instructor going into the LM program you have 1 year from passing the video to get ACE or AFFA group ex cert-yet there are a half dozen instructors who have been teaching LM for 2 years and not one has taken a cert course.
As someone else said (and it's true for any of the trainings-ie Schwinn)-in an experienced instructor's hands these programs shine-in an inexperienced instructor's hands-they look bad. Some day I hope to get to New Zealand and take class from the originals! I did take Combat at the IDEA conference and Rachael and Dan rocked the room!

[Paul S.]

I've been reading this thread with interest and finally adding my $0.02. I'm certified in Spinning and Schwinn/Reaction cycling as well as Group Power, the Body Training Systems barbell class similar to Les Mills' Bodypump, and also have the AFAA group ex cert. I think there is a place in most group ex programs for both preformatted and instructor-formatted classes, and instructors benefit from being certified in both types of programs. (OP Kala, I think there will be something lost if your club goes all LM.) I'm not certified in Group Ride, the BTS cycling class, and have only taken a few Ride classes, so it's hard for me to compare cycling programs directly, but I have seen how BTS applies the same principles in all their programs.

I learned some things in my 3 days of Group Power instructor training that I apply in my cycling class. For example, how to make classes entertaining, something little emphasized in my cycling certs. I realize that dedicated outdoor cyclists don't come to IDC for entertainment. But if you want the general population to keep coming to your class, when they have so many other workout options, I think you have to do something to make them fun. One way to do this is to keep your classes fresh with new music and new cueing styles. I'm sure that all the regulars here on Pedal-On are already doing that. But there are a few too many instructors out there doing the same thing month after month, year after year, in their generic cycling classes - while it is a fact that there are no BTS/LM instructors who don't do a completely new class every 3 months!

BTS says that all of their programs are "always the same and always different". Different in the music and the details of the exercises, the same in the overall class structure of each program. This could be a problem in a cycling class for hardcore enthusiasts who need to have very different class profiles as part of a periodized program. The place where I started taking Spinning classes before I became an instructor put out a monthly schedule of the Energy Zones for each class, but no place I've taught has done this. In any of my classes there can be a deconditioned person taking IDC for the first time and someone who has ridden indoors and outdoors for decades. The all-terrain profiles used in the preformatted classes, and which I generally use myself, work well for this diverse population.

Again, I'm not familiar with RPM or Group Ride, but there was a fair amount of theory covered in my Group Power training, although with no written test there is no way to be sure all instructors absorb it. There is also educational material in every quarterly release package - it's a lot easier to have it right there than to have to go to a CE session.

My AFAA group ex cert did help give me some background useful in all my classes. All the BTS instructors I know also have at least on other cert. We've all found the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

[markelmarcel]

Originally Posted by groupfitpower

I hope you know it was meant as a sincere compliment, even though I often err on the cheesy side.

:-)

I did
and cheese is good!

[markelmarcel]

I am loving reading about everyone's responses on this topic....

I wanted to mention that the facility I teach at currently is a college. I'm thinking that management thinks it will be much easier to "manage" if everyone is under the same certification. That way if a body pump class instructor is ill another can step in with absolutely no issue.

My obvious concern is the monotony, especially with RPM. As it is right now we have around 15 or so instructors (aerobics and spinning), each brings their own unique twist on whatever they teach.

If we take away all creativity and are left with LM my concern is we will ultimately have LESS people come to the classes, instead of more which is the goal... (The aerobics & spinning classes are not covered under the general activity fee at the university and students must pay $35 a semester to come to them)

As it is now you can go to various spinning classes even in the same day and get completely different workouts. If we switch to PURE LM RPM then no matter when you go at what time on what day you will get the exact same workout.

How is this going to go over with the population? If you go to spinning on Monday at 7pm, then why go on Tuesday or Wednesday because it's the exact same workout with the exact same music?

Now, I HAVE taught the exact same class before- I did it as a very small experiment. 3 classes, 3 nights I did the same workout, but with different music. No one ever noticed.

That goes to show you that you can teach the same exact format and have many different ways of coaching.

BUT- My concern is moreso the music. With the same music it's going to be obvious that it is the same workout. Now, you can use previous releases, but honestly I'm a back-in-college girl now myself and do not want to shell out x amount of $$ for the 70-some previous releases there are to have variety.

[Jpgirl]

Paul says it best-room for all formats and your club sill lose something if it goes to all LM. I love freestyle cycle taught by an experienced instructor and we have that choice at our club. I'm not a huge fan of RPM and gave up teaching it 6 months ago because I was bored-but not to say it's boring. You make a point that you can change out tracks but you do have to buy back releases in order to do that. We have 5 RPM instructors and they all coach it differently-but it's just not me.
My fellow instructors have discussed it and we agree (some of us have been in management) that chorey based programs like LM and BTS offer a sense of security-being able to get subs, everyone teaches the same format for the same class. There doesn't seem to be the mentoring programs (or instructors) that there used to be and the new instructors don't seem to have the time or money to put into big certs, and conferences to further their education.

[likefinewine]

What are we here for this sounds like RPM bad Spinning good, Shades of animal farm.
We are here for one thing get this straight to give our participant a safe and effective workout that is challenging wether tis RPM or Spinning.
I have known people who have never got on a proper bike take Spinning certification as well as RPM
At the end of the day we are not here to induldge ourselves although reading half of the posts you wouldn,t think so.
Oh in case your wondering i am certified in 3 indoor cycling regimes feel free to check
1 JG spinning
2 RPM
3 Multitrax cycling
And have spent 6 years competing at triathlons and still go out regularly for 50 miles every weekend.
I really don,t care wether we think its a bit repetative what do our client think of it

[markelmarcel]

Originally Posted by likefinewine

What are we here for this sounds like RPM bad Spinning good, Shades of animal farm.
We are here for one thing get this straight to give our participant a safe and effective workout that is challenging wether tis RPM or Spinning.

I disagree that this post is a rpm=bad and spinning=good... I think that it was a fair discussion we had many months ago. I have since become LM certified in BodyPump and understand more of what LM stands for, although some I don't agree with.

There is a lot of other certifications I don't agree with- Mad Dogg Athletics/Spinning-- 1 day certification?? In my opinion I don't believe that is nearly enough time to get all the information put across.

Anyway- I do agree that no matter what we are here to give the participants a safe and effective workout, no matter what the program is-- and that is really number 1.

And, I do believe that we all come together and agree on that point.

[Robert]

Originally Posted by likefinewine

I really don,t care wether we think its a bit repetative what do our client think of it

If we're here only to give what our clients want, then we're not doing our job properly.

[kelwend]

Originally Posted by Robert

If we're here only to give what our clients want, then we're not doing our job properly.

And I would add, if we 're here only to give what WE want, then we 're not doing our job properly.
It is all about balance.